In the early morning hours of May 30, 2015, a night out for 25-year-old Paul Anthony Abbey tragically ended in his death in the parking lot of Cheetah's Gentlemen's Club on Diamond Springs Road in Virginia Beach. Abbey, a student at Bryant & Stratton College and a father of two, was with a friend when they were confronted by two armed men who intended to rob them.
The night had started with Abbey celebrating a friend's birthday.
The events leading to the fatal encounter began earlier that evening when Raiquan Lamont Turner and Timothy Josaahn Watson, along with Keith Devon Mitchell, decided they needed money and formulated a plan to rob someone. Inside the club, an interaction occurred between the groups, with Turner reportedly asking Abbey for a cigarette. After last call, as Abbey and his friend were leaving, they were approached by Turner and Watson, who brandished a firearm and demanded their belongings. During the robbery, both Abbey and his friend were shot. Abbey sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the neck and died at the scene, while his friend was grazed by a bullet.
Investigators utilized surveillance footage from the club, which captured images of Turner, Watson, and Mitchell. This footage was crucial in identifying them as suspects. Abbey's friend who survived the attack also identified Turner in a photo lineup. Within weeks of the murder, all three men were arrested. Raiquan Lamont Turner, then 19, and Timothy Josaahn Watson, then 26, were charged with murder, robbery, and firearm offenses. Keith Devon Mitchell, 24 at the time, was charged as an accessory.
The legal process brought convictions and significant prison sentences for the men involved. Raiquan Lamont Turner was found guilty of first-degree felony murder, two counts of robbery, and use of a firearm. He was sentenced to three life terms plus 18 years in prison. Timothy Josaahn Watson was also convicted of first-degree felony murder, robbery, use of a firearm, and conspiracy, receiving a sentence of a life term plus 53 years. Keith Devon Mitchell pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to homicide and was sentenced to five years in prison with four years suspended.
